Ask IFAS: Ecosystems

Ecosystems

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Aquatic Ecosystems

Interaction of living organisms with the physical or chemical environment in a body of water.

Process of reversing the degradation of ecosystems, such as landscapes, lakes and oceans to regain their ecological functionality; in other words, to improve the productivity and capacity of ecosystems to meet the needs of society.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits people and other organisms obtain from ecosystems; examples include: pure water and clean air, scenic landscapes, wildlife habitat and biodiversity.

Habitats

The natural environment where an organism, population or community lives, including biotic and abiotic factors.

Terrestrial Ecosystems

Upland Pine Ecosystems

Upland pine communities are woodlands characterized by widely spaced longleaf pines with a sparse to moderate shrub layer, along with a dense, species-rich groundcover of grasses and herbs. Other plants commonly occurring in this community are turkey oak, bluejack oak, southern red oak, live oak, persimmon, gopher apple, and leadplant. Animal species include green treefrog, gopher tortoise, eastern fence lizard, red-bellied woodpecker, loggerhead shrike, cotton mouse, and fox squirrel.

Vegetation

Publications

Florida Soil Series and Natural Community Associations

FR455/FOR384by G. D. J. LaPierre, N. D. Medina-Irizarry, and M. G. AndreuJune 2, 2022Soils often dictate the presence of different types of inherent natural communities. In this project we created a table that relates soil series to natural communities found in Florida. Correlation of soil series and natural communities was performed through the synthesis of land management plans, the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) documentation of exemplary sites, along with the UC Davis Soil Resource Laboratory Soil Web Survey mapping information system (SoilWeb). The GPS coordinates and conservation site names of the selected locations for said soil series are also recorded in this table. Use of this table can help private landowners, land managers, and researchers detect current and former natural communities on sites.

Breaking barriers, mentoring minds: New UF/IFAS scientist earns spot among America’s Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx researchers

Lourdes MederosSeptember 17th, 2024The newest scientist to join the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center has been honored with a place on the Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists. Valerie De Anda Torres, an assistant professor of microbiology and cell science, joins more than 300 fellow scientists on the prestigious 2024 list, a grass roots effort developed in […]

Natural ponds remove nitrogen more effectively than stormwater ponds

Brad BuckJuly 30th, 2024Summer brings daily storms in the Sunshine State, and with the rain, you need to control flooding in some neighborhoods. Florida is swimming in 76,000 stormwater ponds. Designed to control flooding, stormwater ponds are not as effective as natural ponds at removing nitrogen, a pollutant that can go downstream into lakes, rivers and other bodies […]

UF study reveals environmental impact of artificial sweeteners

Megan WinslowJuly 8th, 2024The human body’s inability to break down sucralose, an artificial sweetener found in many zero-calorie food and drink products, is well established by scientific research. The compound is so stable that it escapes wastewater treatment processing and is in drinking water and aquatic environments. “We can’t break down sucralose, and a lot of microorganisms can’t […]

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